F/      - 


a  VWM 


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RAPHAEL 

"The    Prince  of  Art." 


Raphael 


THE  PRINCE  OF  ART 

ADAPTED   FOR   TOUXG   READERS 

BY 

MARY     I  .      L  O  V  E  J  O  Y 


BOSTON 


NINETEEN    HUNDRED    AND  TWO 


May/iew      Publishing      Company 

NINETY-TWO     RUGGLES     STREET 


Copyright   1902  by 

Mary    I.    Lovejoy 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Mayhew  Publishing  Company,  Boston. 


To   My  Nephews 

George  and  Willie. 


2024385 


Preface 


"THE  function  of  Art  is  to  embody  the 
universxl."  Whether  Art  is  the  product  of 
the  poet's  pen,  the  artist's  brush,  the  sculp- 
tor's chisel,  or  the  musician's  harmonious 
tones,  it  all  crystallizes  into  a  perfect  whole- 
One  phase  of  Art  which  should  be  prominent 
in  the  education  of  children  is  the  study  of 
pictures,  and  some  knowledge  of  the  artist 
who  painted  them.  It  elevates,  refines,  and 
purifies;  cultivates  an  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful,  and  brings  joy  to  many  a  desolate 
household. 

"To  gaze  upon  a  good  picture  is  to  open 
the  soul  to  a  silent  influence  that  will  aid  to 
ripen  thought  into  noble  action." 

It  is  to  stimulate  and  encourage  this  study 
that  this  little  sketch  is  launched.  That  it 
may  find  a  port  with  the  true  mother  and 
teacher  is  the  earnest  desire  of  the  author. 

The   copyright    material  is   used    by    per- 


mission  of  and  by  arrangement  of  Messrs. 
Houghton,  Miflin  &  Company,  and  Little, 
Brown  &  Company,  to  whom  the  author 
desires  to  make  cordial  acknowledgment  for 
their  courtesy  and  good  will.  She  also 
desires  to  express  her  thanks  to  the  authors 
who  so  graciously  granted  permission  for  the 
use  of  their  poems,  and  the  friends  who  have 
aided  and  encouraged  her. 

M.  I.  L. 
August  12,  1902. 


CONTEXTS. 

Introductory          .           .           .           .           .  '17 

Raphael,  The  Boy          .           .           .           .  27 

Raphael,  The  Student   .           .           .           .  37 

Life  At  Florence,  Italy             ...  47 

Lite  At  Rome,  Italy      .          .          .          .  61 
At  The  Vatican              .           .                      .81 

Raphael,  The  Master    ....  97 

Raphael,  The  Prince  Of  Art             .           .  123 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Raphael  Frontispiece 

Madonna  of  the  Chair  -  Page      19 

Birthplace  of  Raphael,  Urbino,  Italy  29 

Picture  of  La  Sposalizio  or  Marriage  of 

the    Virgin  39 

Madonna  Gran  Duca         -  50 

Madonna   of  the  House  ot  Alba     •  54. 

Vatican,  Rome          -  63 

Raphael  and  Perugino     -  67 

Madonna  del  Foligno          -  71 

Loggia  of  Raphael,  Vatican     -  83 

St.  Cecilia        -----  87 

St.  Paul,  Bologna  91 

Sistine  Chapel,  Rome  96 

Miraculous  Draught  of  Fishes  99 

St.  Peter's,  Rome     -  104 

Sistine  Madonna,  Dresden  109 

Raphael  in  his  Studio           -          -  -             I  1 6 

The  Transfiguration,  Vatican  -  122 


RAPHAEL,  "THE   PRINCE  OF 
ART." 


Introductory 


"The  snow  had  begun  in  the  gloaming 

And  busily  all  the  night, 
Had  been  heaping  field  and  highway 

With  a  silence  deep  and  white." 

LOWELL. 

IT  was  Christmas  morning.  The  air  was 
sharp  and  clear.  The  sun  shone  brightly 
upon  the  new  fallen  snow.  It  looked  like 
a  carpet  of  diamonds.  Not  a  cloud  was  in 
the  sky.  The  church  bells  rang  out  their 
heavy  clang.  The  sleigh  bells  chimed  in 
with  their  merry  tinkle,  tinkle;  while  the  happy 
shouts  of  the  children  at  play  greeted  the 
passers  by. 

All  nature  seemed  filled  with  delight.  The 
trees  shook  the  feathery  flakes  of  snow  from 
their  branches.  Even  the  little  birds  hopping 
about  were  chirping  their  Christmas  carols. 

Among  the  happy  children  that  Christmas 
morning  were  Margaret  and  John  Merton. 
Santa  Claus  had  been  very  generous  to  them. 


i8  RAPHAEL 

He  had  brought  them  books,  toys,  pictures 
candy,  and  many  useful  articles. 

They  had  arranged  their  gifts  upon  a  table. 
Margaret  thought  the  most  beautiful  present 
that  she  received  was  a  picture  from  her 
mother.  It  was  a  Madonna.  John  received 
a  picture,  too,  and  liked  it,  but  he  did  not 
think  it  the  best  of  his  presents.  His  new 
sled  and  skates  pleased  him  more. 

Two  or  three  days  after  Christmas  there 
was  another  snow-storm.  Margaret  and  John 
could  not  go  out  to  play.  Their  mother  told 
them  to  come  to  the  library  and  she  would  tell 
them  the  story  of  the  Madonna. 

The  children  shouted  for  joy.  They  were 
always  delighted  to  hear  their  mother  tell 
stories.  They  ran  a  race  and  John  got  there 
first. 

As  Mrs.  Merton  entered  the  room,  she 
placed  Margaret's  picture  upon  the  table.  It 
was  the  "Madonna  della  Sedia"  or  "Madonna 
of  the  Chair". 

After  looking  at  it  a  few  moments  she  began 
this  story: — 


Madonna  of  the 
Chair 


INTRODUCTORY  21 

"Many  hundred  years  ago,  a  few  years  before 
America  was  discovered,  a  great  artist  wanted 
to  paint  a  beautiful  mother.  He  had  thought 
liow  she  should  look,  but  he  wished  to  see  a 
face  like  the  sweet  picture  that  he  had  in  his 
mind. 

"The  legend  of  this  picture  will  tell  you  how 
he  found  this  beautiful  mother,  and  why  it  is 
represented  in  a  circular  form. 

"On  one  of  the  mountains  in  Italy,  there 
lived  an  old  hermit  named  Bernardo.  He 
was  very  happy  in  his  little  hut.  The  people 
in  the  valley  loved  him;  often  carried  food 
to  him,  and  asked  his  counsel.  They  wanted 
him  to  come  to  the  village  to  live.  They 
could  do  more  to  help  him  there  and  he 
would  not  be  so  lonely. 

"He  thanked  them  for  their  kindness  and 
told  them  he  was  never  lonely.  He  said 
there  were  two  beings  that  were  as  kind  to 
him  as  daughters.  One  could  talk,  but  the 
other  was  dumb. 

"The  one  who  could  s-peak  was  Mary,  the 
daughter  of  a  wine  dresser,  who  lived  in  the 


22  RAPHAEL 

village.  She  went  to  see  the  old  hermit  every 
day,  carried  him  food  and  clothing  and 
helped  him  all  she  could. 

"The  dumb  daughter  was  a  large  oak  tree 
that  grew  near  his  hut.  He  used  to  talk  to 
her  and  feed  the  birds  that  lived  in  her 
branches. 

"The  birds  sang  to  him,  and  the  wind, 
rustling  the  leaves,  brought  Bernardo  sweet 
music  to  cheer  him.  He  loved  these  two 
daughters  very  clearly. 

"One  winter  there  was  a  severe  storm. 
It  lasted  three  or  four  days,  and  the  people 
in  the  valley  were  very  anxious  about  Bern- 
ardo. They  were  afraid  that  he  had  per- 
ished. As  soon  as  the  storm  was  over,  Mary 
and  her  father  started  up  the  mountain.  When 
they  reached  the  place  where  Bernardo  lived, 
the  hut  had  been  swept  away,  but  the 
tree  was  still  standing.  They  looked  up  into 
the  branches  and  saw  Bernardo.  He  was 
cold  and  hungry,  and  was  glad  to  see  his 
friends.  He  told  them  that  he  stayed  in  his 
hut  as  long  as  he  could;  but  as  the  storm  in 


INTRODUCTORY  23 

creased  he  went  on  the  roof.  His  dumb 
daughter  held  out  her  arms  and  beckoned 
him  to  come  to  her.  He  went  back  into  the 
hut,  took  a  few  crusts  of  bread,  and  climbed 
into  the  tree.  There  he  remained  until  Mary 
found  him.  Thus  his  life  was  saved  by  his 
two  daughters. 

"Mary  took  the  old  hermit  to  her  home, 
nursed  and  cared  for  him.  He  was  very 
grateful,  and  told  her  that  he  prayed  every 
day  that  his  two  daughters,  who  had  been 
so  kind  to  him,  might,  in  some  way,  be  glori- 
fied together.  Not  long  after,  he  died,  but 
his  prayer  was  not  forgotten. 

"Years  passed.  The  oak  tree  was  cut  down 
and  made  into  wine  casks  for  Mary's  father. 

"Mary  was  married  and  had  two  beautiful 
children.  One  afternoon  she  took  her  chil- 
dren into  the  garden,  and  sat  in  a  chair  in  the 
arbor.  She  held  the  younger  child  in  her 
lap.  The  elder  was  playing.  He  had  just 
come  toward  her  with  a  little  cross  in  his 
hand  that  he  had  made. 

"Just  at  this  moment  a  young  man  who  was 


24  RAPHAEL 

passing,    saw    the   group    and    exclaimed: — 

"I  must  paint  that  lovely  mother  and  those 
beautiful  children."  He  had  only  a  pencil 
in  his  pocket,  and  nothing  on  which  he  could 
sketch.  Just  in  front  of  him  he  saw  the  clean 
cover  of  a  wine  cask.  He  picked  it  up  and 
drew  upon  it  the  outline  of  his  picture.  When 
he  got  home  he  painted  it  in  the  loveliest 
colors.  Thus  Mary  and  the  oak  tree,  the  two 
daughters  of  the  old  hermit,  were  glorified  to- 
gether, and  the  old  man's  prayer  was  answered. 

"This  remarkable  painting  is  now  in  the 
Pitti  Palace,  in  Florence,  Italy,  where  hun- 
dreds of  visitors  admire  it  every  day." 

Margaret  and  John  were  greatly  interested 
in  this  story.  They  both  exclaimed: — 
"Mother,  do  tell  us  about  the  painter." 

Mrs.  Merton  promised  that  she  would  tell 
them  the  next  day. 


RAPHAEL  THE  BOY 


Raphael  The  Boy 

IN  the  morning  the  children  had  hardly 
finished  breakfast,  when  they  reminded 
her  of  her  promise.  She  had  not  for- 
gotten. She  told  them  they  would  have  to 
wait  until  afternoon. 

Margaret  and  John  were  so  impatient  to 
hear  about  this  wonderful  artist,  that  they 
were  in  the  library  a  half  hour  before  their 
mother  appeared.  Mrs.  Merton  took  from 
a  drawer  in  the  bookcase,  a  large  picture.  She 
placed  it  where  the  children  could  see  it  well, 
and  said: — "This  is  the  picture  of  Raphael, 
one  of  the  greatest  artists  the  world  has  ever 
known.  He  was  not  only  a  great  artist,  but  a 
good  and  noble  man.  He  was  kind,  courteous 
and  of  fine  character.  Besides  being  a  paint- 
er, he  was  a  sculptor,  a  musician,  a  poet,  and 
had  planned  many  buildings. 

"Raphael  advanced  so  rapidly  in  his  work 
that  many  of  the  other  artists  of  his  time 
were  jealous  of  him.  He  did  not  mind  that, 


28  RAPHAEL 

and  showed  his  sweet  disposition  and  strong 
character  by  his  kindness  to  them,  and  by 
helping  them  whenever  he  could." 

"I  think  he  has  a  lovely  face,"  said  Mar- 
garet. 

"You  will  think  him  a  wonderful  man  when 
you  hear  of  his  life  and  paintings,"  said  Mrs. 
Merton. 

"On  Good  Friday,  in  the  year  1483,  there 
came  to  a  comfortable,  happy  home,  in 
Urbino,  Umbria,  Italy,  a  dear  little  boy. 
This  little  boy  was  Raphael  Santi.  He  was 
named  for  St.  Raphael,  who,  it  is  said,  cares 
for  the  young  and  watches  over  travellers. 

"His  mother  was  the  daughter  of  a  merchant 
in  Urbino.  Her  name  was  Magia.  She  was 
sweet  and  lovely  and  cared  for  her  boy 
tenderly.  When  he  was  eight  years  old  she 
died,  and  left  her  little  son  to  the  care  of 
his  father,  who  devoted  much  time  to  him. 

"Giovanni  Santi  was  a  noted  man.  He 
painted,  wrote  poems,  played  several  musical 
instruments,  and  carved  images.  There  is  a 
fresco  in  his  home  in  Urbino,  painted  by  him, 


Birthplace  of 
Raphael, 
Urbino,  Italy 


RAPHAEL  THE   BOY       31 

which  is  said  to  be  a  picture  of  Raphael  and 
his  mother. 

"Raphael's  father  saw  that  his  son  loved 
Nature.  Beautiful  colors  pleased  him.  He 
took  him  to  watch  the  birds,  the  trees,  the 
flowers,  and  the  sea.  They  had  many  pleasant 
walks  and  talks  together.  His  father  said: — 

''  'Strange  questions  doth  he  ask  of  me, 

When  we  together  walk ; 
He  scarcely  thinks  as  children  think, 

Or  talks  as  children   talk.'  " 

"Mamma,  do  you  think  his  father  knew  the 
names  of  the  birds  and  flowers  as  my  papa 
does?"  asked  John. 

"He  may  have  known  the  names  of  those 
that  were  found  near  his  home,"  answered 
Mrs.  Merton. 

"Raphael  must  have  asked  a  great  many 
questions,"  said  Margaret. 

"Yes,  hedid,"  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "That  is  a 
good  way  to  learn  about  things,  my  dear.  It 
teaches  you  to  think." 

"I  think  he  must  have  had  a  fine  time,"  said 
John. 


32  RAPHAEL 

"He  did.  He  was  a  very  happy  and 
thoughtful  boy,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"Another  place  to  which  Raphael  went 
with  his  father  was  to  the  grand  palace  of 
the  Duke  of  Urbino.  The  Duke  lived  a 
short  distance  from  the  little  boy's  home. 
In  this  palace  Raphael  spent  many  happy 
hours,  looking  at  the  beautiful  paintings, 
choice  pieces  of  sculpture,  and  the  many 
rare  books  in  the  library." 

"Didn't  he  have  a  good  time!"  said  Mar- 
garet. 

"Mamma,  how  did  he  learn  to  draw?"  asked 
John. 

"When  Raphael  was  very  young  his  father 
taught  him  to  draw.  He  learned  so  quickly 
that  he  was  soon  of  great  help  in  many  ways. 
It  was  his  father's  wish  that  his  son 
should  study  with  some  noted  teacher  of 
painting.  He  knew  that  the  boy  had  great 
talent,  and  would  some  day  become  famous. 
Before  any  plan  could  be  made,  a  great  sor- 
row came  to  this  young  boy.  He  was  only 
eleven  years  old  when  his  father  died,  and 


RAPHAKL  THE  BOY       33 

you  can  imagine  how  very  sad  and  lonely  he 
was.  He  missed  his  friend  and  companion 
more  than  any  one  knew." 

"Oh!  isn't  that  too  bad!"  exclaimed  Mar- 
garet. 

"Yes,  I  am  very  sorry  that  Raphael  lost 
his  father,"  said  John. 

"I  am  very  sorry,  too,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 
"As  I  tell  you  the  story  of  his  life  you  will 
see  what  a  brave,  manly  little  fellow  he  was, 
and  how  hard  he  tried  to  do  what  he  thought 
would  please  his  father  and  mother. 

"Soon  after  his  father's  death,  he  was  sent 
to  study  with  Timoteo  Viti,  the  only  noted 
painter  in  Urbino,  who  was  then  about 
twenty-six  years  old.  Viti  was  a  pleasant 
young  man  and  a  musician  of  skill.  He 
was  so  bright  and  cheerful  that  he  soon  won 
the  love  of  Raphael,  and  a  friendship  was 
formed  between  the  two  that  lasted  many 
years.  Raphael's  first  painting  while  with 
him  was  'The  Vision  of  a  Knight,'  which 
is  now  at  the  National  Gallery  in  London. 
Very  few  of  his  earlier  pictures  were  pre- 


34  RAPHAEL 

served ;  those  that  were,  show  the  boy's 
genius. 

"He  studied  with  Viti  a  few  years.  His 
uncle  then  sent  him  to  Perugia,  Italy,  to 
study  with  Perugino,  who  had  one  of  the 
largest  schools  of  painting. 

"When  Perugino  examined  the  drawings 
that  Raphael  made  for  him,  he  exclaimed,  'Let 
him  be  my  pupil,  he  will  soon  be  my  master.' 

"We  will  leave  our  boy  artist  just  starting 
upon  his  school  life  in  Perugia,  and  next 
Saturday  I  will  tell  you  how  well  the  young 
painter  succeeded." 

"Oh  dear!"  said  Margaret,  "I  wish  we 
didn't  have  to  wait  until  Saturday." 

"Come,  Margaret,  we'll  go  up-stairs  and 
paint,"  said  John. 


RAPHAKL  THE  STUDENT 


Raphael   The  Student 

"  TTURRAH!"  said   John,    "it  is  Satur- 
day and  now  for  our  story." 
"Yes,  I  know  it,"  said  Margaret. 
"Mother  is  going  to  tell  us  about  Raphael's 
life  at  Perugia." 

"Come,  my  dears,"  said  Mrs.  Merton,  "I 
am  ready. 

"When  Raphael  went  to  Perugia  he  was 
about  seventeen  years  old.  He  was  interest- 
ed in  everything  that  he  saw.  While  there, 
he  met  noted  people,  and  made  many  friends. 
He  visited  the  public  palaces,  saw  many 
beautiful  paintings,  and  pieces  of  sculpture, 
from  which  he  learned  much  in  art. 

"After  a  year's  study  with  Perugino,  he 
finished  his  first  picture  without  assistance. 
This  was  a  banner  for  a  church." 

"He  must  have  felt  proud,  mamma.  I 
wish  I  could  paint  a  banner,"  said  John. 

"Perhaps  you  may,  my  boy.  You  can  try,'' 
said  Mrs.  Merton. 


38  RAPHAEL 

"I  will  try,"  said  John. 

"I  will  help  you,  John,"  said  Margaret. 
'  Now  please  go  on  with  the  story,  mamma." 

"A  very  wealthy  lady  became  interested  in 
his  work,  and  through  her  influence  he  ob- 
tained several  orders  for  pictures.  This 
helped  and  encouraged  the  young  painter  and 
he  worked  harder  than  ever.  He  made  such 
rapid  progress  that  it  was  soon  difficult  to 
tell  his  work  from  his  teacher's.  His  most 
famous  painting  ac  this  time  was  'La  Sposa- 
lizio,'  or  'Marriage  of  the  Virgin.'  There 
are  two  pretty  legends  told  about  this  picture. 
This  is  one  of  them. 

"Mary  was  very  beautiful,  and  had  many 
lovers  who  wished  to  marry  her.  This 
matter  could  not  be  decided  as  each  lover 
claimed  her.  These  lovers  all  carried  staffs, 
and  they  were  told  to  put  them  away  over 
night.  Mary  said  that  during  the  night  one 
of  these  staffs  would  blossom.  The  owner  of 
this  could  claim  her  for  his  wife.  They  were 
all  anxious  for  the  day  to  dawn.  In  the 
morning,  sure  enough,  one  staff  was  covered 


Picture  of 
La  Sposalizio  or 
Marriage  of  the 
Virgin 


RAPHAEL  THK  STUDENT  41 

with  lily  blossoms.  The  air  was  filled  \yith 
fragrance.  Whose  staff  was  it,  do  you  think? 
It  was  Joseph's.  He  was  very  happy  as  he 
went  to  claim  his  bride.  In  the  picture  see 
the  wedding  is  taking  place  in  front  of  the 
temple.  Joseph  is  placing  the  ring  upon 
Mary's  ringer.  Her  girl  friends  and  the  dis- 
appointed lovers  are  looking  on  and  one  'of 
the  lovers  is  so  angry  that  he  is  breaking  his 
staff  while  the  wedding  is  taking  place." 

"Which  one  is  Joseph?"  asked  John. 

"There  he  is,"  said  Margaret.  "He  is 
placing  a  ring  upon  Mary's  finger.  See  how 
happy  he  looks!" 

"There  is  the  lover  breaking  his  staff," 
said  John. 

"Doesn't  he  look  angry?"  said  Margaret 

"Yes,  the  lovers  all  look  unhappy  and  dis- 
appointed,." said  Mrs.  Merton.  "This  cele- 
brated picture  is  now  in  the  Brera  Gallery 
at  Milan. 

"After  Raphael  finished  this  picture  he  re- 
mained but  a  short  time  in  Perugia.  He  re- 
turned to  his  old  home  and  spent  much  of  his 


42  RAPHAEL 

time  with  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Urbino, 
his  father's  friends.  He  painted  two  pictures 
for  them,  'St.  George  Slaying  the  Dragon,' 
and  'St.  Michael.' 

"He  enjoyed  more  than  ever  the  attractive 
home,  the  fine  works  of  art,  and  the  many 
distinguished  people  with  whom  he  became 
acquainted.  From  them  he  heard  a  great 
deal  about  Florence,  the  city  of  art,  and  of 
the  large  number  of  artists  and  sculptors 
who  lived  there." 

"Didn't  he  want  to  go  there?"  asked  Mar- 
garet. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "The 
more  he  heard,  the  more  ambitious  he  was 
to  go  to  this  great  city  to  study.  The  Duchess 
Elizabeth,  sister  of  the  Duke  of  Urbino, 
became  much  interested  in  his  work.  He 
told  her  of  his  wish  to  study  in  Florence  and 
she  gave  him  some  letters  to  some  of  her 
friends  there,  who  would  help  him.  He  de- 
cided to  go  at  once.  You  can  imagine  how 
happy  he  was  when  he  started  for  Florence 
with  these  letters." 


RAPHAEL  THE  STUDENT  43 

"The  Duchess  Elizabeth  was  kind  to  give 
him  the  letters,"  said  Margaret. 

"He  is  described  at  this  time,"  said  Mrs. 
Merton,  "as  a  youth  of  twenty-one,  slight  in 
figure,  five  feet  eight  inches  tall;  with  dark 
brown  eyes  and  hair,  perfect  teeth,  and  the 
kindest  of  hearts. 

"Next  Tuesday  is  a  holiday,  and  then  I 
will  tell  you  how  Raphael  enjoyed  Florence." 


LIFE  AT  FLORENCE,  ITALY 


Life  At  Florence,  Italy 

"Forth  from  the  Urbino's  gate  there  came 
A  vouth  with  the  angelic  name 
Of  Raphael,  in  form  and  face 
Himself  angelic,  and  divine 
In  arts  of  color  and  design." 
~<  t-H.iiiux"  LONGFELLOW. 


TUESDAY  afternoon  Mrs.  Merlon  was 
reading,  when  Margaret  and  John  came 
into  the  room.  They  had  been  skating 
and  Mrs.  Merton  thought  that  they  might 
have  forgotten  the  story  of  Raphael. 

"Well,  Margaret,"  she  said,  "do  you  re- 
member where  we  left  Raphael  last  Satur- 
day?" 

"Yes,  mamma,  he  was  just  starting  for 
Florence,  and  you  said  you  would  tell  us  to- 
day the  story  of  his  life  there." 

"John,  do  you  remember  how  old  Raphael 
was  when  he  went  to  Florence?" 

"Yes,"  said  John,  "he  was  twenty-one." 

"Raphael  was  delighted  with  everything  in 

47 


48  RAPHAEL 

this  city  which  was  so  wonderful  to  him. 
Every  picture  or  work  of  art  that  he  saw, 
every  new  artist  that  he  met,  became  to  him 
a  fresh  spring  of  inspiration.  But  while  he 
was  receiving  fresh  impressions  and  learning 
new  lessons,  he  never  forgot  or  lost  the 
knowledge  to  which  he  had  attained.  There 
never  were  so  many  fine  artists  together  as  at 
this  time.  The  paintings  of  Leonardo  da 
Vinci,  one  of  the  greatest  painters  of  this  time, 
pleased  him  more  than  any  other.  He  ad- 
mired the  grace  and  beauty  of  his  figures,  and 
decided  to  study  with  him.  He  was  also 
greatly  interested  in  the  work  of  Michael 
Angelo,  another  very  noted  painter  and  sculp- 
tor, and  spent  much  time  with  him." 

"Mamma,  Raphael  must  have  worked  hard 
to  please  such  a  teacher,"  said  Margaret. 

"Yes,  my  dear,  he  worked  so  hard  that  he 
learned  more  in  a  few  months  than  many  ar- 
tists would  in  years. 

"The  first  year  in  Florence  he  painted  some 
beautiful  Madonnas,  several  of  which  I  shall 
show  you.  Among  the  first  was  the  'Madon- 


Madonna 
Gran   Duca 


LIFE  AT  FLORENCE,  ITALY  51 

na  del  Gran  Duca,'  (or  del  Miaggio),  which  is 
now  in  the  Pitti  Gallery." 

"Oh,  mamma,  please  tell  us  the  story  about 
it,"  said  John. 

"It  was  found  in  Florence  two  centuries 
ago,  in  the  house  of  a  poor  widow.  The  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany,  Ferdinand  III.,  bought  it. 
He  prized  it  so  highly  that  he  would  not  part 
with  it,  even  on  his  travels.  Look  at  it.  Do 
you  wonder  that  he  loved  it? 

"The  child  leans  on  it's  parents  breast 
Leaves  there  its  cares,  and  is  at  rest ; 
The  bird  sits  singing  by  his  nest, 
And  tells  aloud 

Hjs  trust  in  God,  and  so  is  blest 
'Neath  every  cloud." 

"Isn't  the  baby  cunning?  He  seems  to  look 
right  at  you,"  said  John. 

"See  his  dear  little   hand,"  said  Margaret. 

"The  'Madonna  clella  Casa  Tempi,' or  'Ma- 
donna of  the  House  of  Tempi,'  was  another. 
This  picture  was  lost  sight  of  for  some 
time  but  was  found  by  a  doctor  in  the 
garret  of  an  old  house.  It  was  covered 


52  RAPHAEL 

with  dust  and  dirt.  In  1824  it  was  bought 
by  King  Ludwig  of  Bavaria.  The  mother 
looks  happy  clasping  her  little  child  in  her 
arms.  It  is  now  in  the  gallery  at  Munich. 

"The  'Madonna  del  Cardellino,'  or  'Madon- 
na of  the  Goldfinch,'  is  lovely,  too.  In  this 
picture  little  St.  John  has  a  small  goldfinch 
in  his  hand,  and  is  showing  it  to  his  little 
playmate.  How  happy  he  looks!  His  bright 
face  beams  with  delight.  The  mother  looks 
down  upon  the  children  lovingly.  She  is  so 
interested  watching  them  that  she  cannot 
read  the  book  she  has  in  her  hand.  This 
picture  is  at  Florence  now." 

"Mamma,  what  is  a  goldfinch?"  asked  John. 

"It  is  a  pretty  bird,"  answered  Mrs.  Merton. 
It  sings  sweetly  and  is  lively  and  intelligent. 
You  can  teach  it  many  tricks,  and  soon  be- 
comes attached  to  the  person  who  feeds  and 
cares  for  it. 

"Sometimes  goldfinches  one  by  one  will  drop 
From  low  hung  branches,  little  space  they  stop. 
But  sip  and  twitter,  and  their  feathers  sleek, 
Then  off  at  once,  as  in  a  wanton  freak : 


Madonna  della 
Casa  d'Alba,  or 
Madonna  of 
the  House  of 
Alba. 


LIFE  AT  FLORENCE,  ITALY  55 

Or,  perhaps,  to  show  their  black  and  golden  wings 
Pausing  upon  their  yellow  flutterings." 

"Look  at  this  dear  sweet  mother.  She  is 
seated  in  a  garden  amid  flowers,  with  a  book 
in  her  hand.  Her  little  boys  are  playing  very 
lovingly  together.  St.  John  wishes  his  little 
playmate  to  give  him  the  cross  that  he  has. 
He  looks  as  if  he  were  saying: — 

"  'Give  me  the  cross,  I  pray  you,  dearest  Jesus ! 

If  you  knew  how  much  I  wish  to  have  it, 

You  would  not  hold  it  in  hand  so  tightly. 

Show  me  that  you  love  me  ; 

Am  I  not  your  little  servant, 

Follow  your  steps,  and  wait  upon  your  wishes?' 

"This  is  the  'Madonna  della  Casa  d'Alba,' 
or  'Madonna  of  the  House  of  Alba.'  It  is 
painted  on  a  circular  piece  of  wood  only  nine 
and  a  half  inches  in  diameter.  '• 

''Margaret,  do  you  know  of  any  other 
picture  that  Raphael  painted  upon  a  circular 
piece  of  wood?"  asked  Mrs.  Merton. 

"Yes,  mamma,  'The  Madonna  of  the  Chair," 
answered  Margaret.  "I  do  not  think  this  mo- 


56  RAPHAEL 

ther  is  as  beautiful  as  the  mother  in  my  pic- 
ture." 

"Neither  dp  I,"  said  John. 

"This  Madonna  was  painted  for  a  church, 
and  later  the  Duke  of  Alba  bought  it  at 
Madrid.  When  his  wife,  the  Duchess  of  Alba, 
died  she  left  the  picture  to  her  doctor.  The 
Emperor  of  Russia  bought  it  later,  and  it  is 
now  in  the  Hermitage  in  St.  Petersburg. 

"Raphael  made  many  friends  in  Florence 
all  of  whom  loved  him.  His  dearest  friend 
was  Fra  Bartolommeo,  a  monk  of  San  Marco, 
who  was  a  painter.  He  was  very  kind  to 
Raphael  and  gave  him  many  valuable  lessons 
in  color  and  modeling.  Among  Raphael's 
friends  were  members  of  wealthy  families. 
They  wished  him  to  paint  their  portraits  and 
he  painted  several,  many  of  which  are  now 
in  the  Pitti  Palace." 

"The  most  famous  picture  that  Raphael 
painted  while  in  Florence  was  'The  Entomb- 
ment.' This  was  for  a  church  in  Perugia. 
The  cartoons,  or  drawings,  were  made  in 
Florence,  and  Leonardo  da  Vinci  assisted  the 


LIFE  AT  FLORENCE,  ITALY  57 

artist  in  this  work.  Then  Raphael  went  to 
Perugia  and  painted  the  picture.  He  used 
for  the  first  time  a  new  way  of  coloring  and 
grouping,  about  which  his  friend,  the  monk, 
had  told  him.  This  picture  is  very  cele- 
brated. He  painted  several  other  pictures  for 
churches,  all  of  which  were  noted  for  their 
coloring.  These  won  for  him  great  praise. 

"About  this  time  the  Pope  of  Rome,  Julius 
II.,  heard  of  this  wonderful  painter,  Raphael, 
and  sent  for  him  to  come  to  Rome,  to  deco- 
rate the  Vatican.  This  was  a  great  honor." 

''Wasn't  he  delighted?"  asked  John. 

"Yes,  and  in  my  next  story  I  will  tell  you 
of  his  life  in  that  old  Roman  capital." 


LIFE  AT  ROME,  ITALY 


Life   At   Rome,   Italy 

NEARLY  a  week  elapsed  before  Mrs. 
Merton  was  able  to  tell  Margaret 
and  John  of  Raphael's  life  in  Rome. 

One  day  after  dinner,  she  told  the  children 
that  she  would  finish  the  story. 

"Well,  children,"  said  Mrs.  Merton,  "do 
you  remember  what  I  am  to  tell  you  to-day?" 

"Yes,  I  know,"  said  Margaret.  "You  said 
you  would  tell  us  about  Raphael's  life  in 
Rome." 

"John,  why  did  Raphael  go  to  Rome?" 
asked  Mrs.  Merton. 

"The  Pope  of  Rome,  Julius  II.,  heard  of  his 
wonderful  paintings,  and  he  sent  for  him  to 
decorate  the  Vatican,"  answered  John. 

"Mamma,"  said  Margaret,  "what  is  the 
Vatican?" 

"The  Vatican,  my  dear,  is  the  palace  where 
the  Pope  lives.  It  is  a  very  large  building 
and  contains  many  beautiful  paintings,  fine 
sculpture,  a  great  library,  and  a  museum.  It 

61 


62  RAPHAEL 

is  one  of  the  great  attractions  for  all  visitors 
who  go  to  Rome.  Here  is  a  picture  of  it. 
You  see  what  a  beautiful  great  palace  it  is!" 
said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"I  know  where  Rome  is,"  said  John.  "It  is 
in  Italy.  It  was  the  greatest  city  in  the 
world." 

"That  is  right,  John,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 
"Rome  is  a  great  city,  and  contains  many 
treasures.  If  Raphael  was  delighted  with 
Florence,  what  must  have  been  his  joy  to  be 
in  Rome.  Can  you  imagine  how  proud  he 
felt?  He  must  have  exclaimed: — 

"I  am  in  Rome  !    Oft  as  the  morning  ray 

Visits  the  eyes,  waking  at  once,  I  cry, 

Whence  this  excess  of  joy?  What  has  befallen  me? 

And  from  within  a  thrilling  voice  replies  :— 

'Thou  art  in  Rome.' 

"When  Raphael  went  to  this  great  city  he 
was  about  twenty-five  years  old.  Although 
he  was  younger  than  his  masters,  his  paint- 
ings were  more  wonderful.  He  showed  so 
much  thought  and  talent  in  his  work  that 
the  Pope  was  greatly  pleased." 


Vatican,  Rome 


LIFE  AT  ROME,  ITALY     65 

"Does  thePope  always  live  in  Rome?"  asked 
Margaret. 

"Yes,  he  lives  there  now,"  said  Mrs.  Mer- 
ton. 

"Julius  II.,  the  Pope  at  Raphael's  time, 
wished  to  do  all  he  could  to  improve  the  city. 
He  sent  for  great  painters  and  sculptors 
wherever  he  heard  of  them,  and  invited  them 
to  work  for  him.  He  was  especially  interest- 
ed in  the  Vatican,  and  wished  to  have  the 
decorations  upon  its  walls  so  beautiful  that  he 
would  never  be  forgotten. 

"Raphael  started  upon  his  work  with  a 
happy  heart  for  the  Pope  received  him  very 
kindly." 

"Wouldn't  you  have  been  afraid  of  such  a 
great  man,  John?"  said  Margaret. 

"I  think  I  should  have  been  afraid  to  paint 
for  him,"  answered  John. 

"You  wouldn't  have  been  afraid  if  you 
could  paint  as  Raphael  did,"  said  Mrs.  Mer- 
ton. 

"The  first  room  which  Raphael  decorated 
was  the  hall  where  the  important  papers  were 


66  RAPHAEL 

signed.  He  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  and 
thought  upon  the  drawings  for  these  frescoes. 
He  talked  with  teachers,  scholars,  and  friends 
about  them. 

"On  the  ceiling  of  this  room  he  painted  four 
figures.  The  one  representing  'Poetry'  is 
the  finest  in  the  group. 

"In  the  fresco  on  the  left  of  the  wall, 
called  'The  School  of  Athens,'  he  painted 
the  faces  of  many  of  his  friends,  teachers,  and 
scholars.  The  Duke  of  Urbino,  the  nephew 
of  the  Pope,  are  pictured;  also  one  of  him- 
self with  Perugino,  histeacher  in  Perugia,  you 
remember.  Here  is  a  picture  of  them. 

"Many  of  Raphael's  pupils  assisted  him  in 
his  work. 

"Mamma,  why  was  this  fresco  called  'The 
School  of  Athens'?"  asked  Margaret. 

"Because,  my  dear,  the  pictures  of  many 
great  scholars  were  painted  in  this  fresco, 
and  Athens  was  the  school  where  these 
scholars  went  to  study,"  replied  Mrs.  Merton. 

"It  must  be  great.  I  wish  I  could  see  it," 
said  John. 


Vatican, 
Raphael  and 
Perugino.      De- 
tail from  School 
ot  Athens 


LIFE  AT  ROME,  ITALY     69 

"Did  he  have  many  pupils  to  help  him, 
mamma?"  asked  John. 

"It  is  said  that  he  had  about  fifty  pupils 
and  they  were  all  very  fond  of  him,"  said 
Mrs.  Merton.  "Here,  as  in  Florence,  he 
was  greatly  beloved  and  won  the  hearts 
of  all  whom  he  met  by  his  courtesy  and  kind- 
ness. 

"In  all  these  frescoes  many  subjects  are 
represented,  and  they  are  among  the  finest 
paintings  in  the  world.  When  you  are  older 
I  will  tell  you  about  these  pictures  and  per- 
haps you  may  visit  Rome  some  day  and  see 
the  original  paintings. 

"The  Pope  was  delighted  with  the  work  and 
showed  Raphael  great  honor,  and  asked  him 
to  decorate  the  walls  of  the  second  room." 

"Isn't  that  good,"  said  John. 

"Raphael  did  not  spend  all  his  time  working 
at  the  Vatican.  At  this  time  he  painted 
many  excellent  portraits.  One  of  himself, 
he  sent  to  his  uncle  in  Urbino.  You  remem- 
ber, children,  I  showed  it  to  you.  Let  us 
look  at  it  again." 


70  RAPHAEL 

"Hasn't  he  a  beautiful  face,  mamma?" 
said  Margaret. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"His  heavenly  face  the  mirror  of  his  mind, 
His  mind  a  temple  for  all  lovely  things, 
To  flock  to  and  inhabit.' 

"But  his  eyes  look  sad.  It  always  seemed 
to  me  that  was  because  of  his  great  sorrow 
when  a  boy." 

"I  remember,  mamma,  his  father  and 
mother  died.  I  should  think  he  would  look 
sad,"  answered  John 

"Do  you  think,  children,  as  you  have  heard 
this  story,  that  Raphael  was  brave  and  man- 
ly?" asked  Mrs.  Merton. 

"I  do.  I  think  he  was  wonderful!"  said 
Margaret. 

"I  don't  see  how  he  could  have  done  so 
much,"  said  John. 

"You  haven't  heard  all  yet,"  said  Mrs. 
Merton.  "He  painted  some  of  the  finest  Ma- 
donnas while  in  Rome. 

"Here  is  one,  'The  Madonna  de  Foligno,' 
which  is  now  in  the  Vatican." 


Madonna  del 
Foligno 


LIFE  AT  ROME,  ITALY      73 

'•Is  there  a  story  about  it?"  asked  John. 
"Please  tell  us." 

"It  was  the  custom  in  those  days  for  per- 
sons who,  in  any  way,  had  escaped  death, 
to  present  some  gift  to  the  church  as  a  thank 
offering.  This  picture  was  given  to  a  church 
by  a  gentleman  who  had  escaped  being  killed 
by  lightning.  You  have  often  seen  a  rainbow 
after  a  thunderstorm,  and  this  picture  rep- 
resents the  distant  view  of  the  town  of  Fol- 
igno  seen  under  a  rainbow  shown  in  the  cen- 
ter." 

"The  colors  must  be  beautiful,  mamma," 
said  Margaret. 

"I  think  the  mother  and  the  little  baby 
are  beautiful,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"My  teacher  drew  a  rainbow  upon  the 
blackboard  when  she  taught  us  the  rainbow 
colors,"  said  John.  "The  colors  were  pretty." 

"My  teacher  hung  a  prism  in  the  sunlight, 
and  the  prismatic  colors  were  reflected  upon 
the  wall,"  said  Margaret.  "They  were  lovely. 
We  learned  a  poem  about  the  rainbow,  too, 
mamma.  Would  you  like  to  hear  it?" 


74  RAPHAEL 

"Certainly,  my  dear,  will  you  recite  it  now?' 
asked  Mrs.  Merton. 

The    Rainbow   Seen    In  Town. 

"Welcome!  thou  beauteous  messenger 

Of  peace  and  promise  too  ; 
Amidst  the  city's  busy  stir, 

What  wonders  thou  canst  do  ! 
A  rush  of  heaven  where  sordid  earth 

Seemed  only  to  have  sway — 
Of  purer  light  a  holy  birth 

Upon  a  common  day. 

"How  glad  thou  mad'st  my  childish  heart. 

Placed  in  the  rainy  sky  ; 
How  watched  I  then  the  clouds  depart, 

And  knew  the  sunshine  nigh  ; 
How.over  hill  and  heathery  plain, 

I  chased  thy  colors  fair, 
And  felt  a  vague  delicious  pain 

To  see  them  melt  in  air. 

"What  images  thou  wakenest  now, 

Of  early  scenes  and  days  ; 
How  gleamest  thou  o'er  the  mountain's  brow 

Tinging  its  crowning  haze  ; 
How  dost  thou  bathe  the  wild  greenwood 

In  liquid  gem-like  light; 


LIFE  AT  ROME,  ITALY      75 

How  doth  the  river's  stately  flood 
Give  back  their  radiance  bright! 

"The  spirits  of  a  thousand  flowers, 

The  soul  of  every  gem) 
Essence  of  buds  from  Eastern  bowers 

Say  art  thou  formed  from  them  ? 
Oh,  blessed  art  thou,  graceful  Bow, 

Who  can  such  pictures  bring — 
Oh,  blessed  thou,  who  makest  flow 

Each  wild  imagining — 

"But  blessed  most  that  thou  art  yet 

To  shine  on  us  allowed, 
To  teach  us  God's  own  hand  hath  set 

'His  bow  within  the  cloud.'  " 

MRS.  JAMES  GRAY. 

"That  is  very  pretty,  Margaret,  and  it 
seems  almost  as  if  Raphael  must  have  had  the 
same  thought  when  he  painted  the  beautiful 
rainbow  in  this  picture,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"Don't  you  think  he  saw  a  rainbow  when 
he  used  to  walk  with  his  father?"  asked  John. 

"Yes,  indeed,  you  remember  he  loved 
beautiful  colors,  and  the  rainbow  would 
please  him  more  than  any,"  answered  Mrs. 
Merton. 


76  RAPHAEL 

"I  think  it  would,"  said  Margaret.  "Wasn't 
that  a  beautiful  rainbow  that  we  saw  at  the 
beach  last  summer?  It  looked  like  two 
rainbows." 

"Oh,  yes,  that  was  lovely,"  said  John. 

"Another  Madonna  was  the  'Madonna 
della  Sedia,'  or  'Madonna  of  the  Chair.' 

"Margaret  can  tell  the  story  of  that  picture. 
She  told  it  to  her  little  friend  the  other  after- 
noon. We  will  look  at  it  again  for  the  moth- 
er and  children  are  so  lovely,  one  cannot 
help  admiring  them. 

"The  'Madonna  of  the  Fish'  is  another  of 
his  noted  Madonnas.  This  was  painted  for 
a  chapel  at  Naples;  the  blind  used  to  go  there 
and  pray  to  have  their  sight  restored.  This 
picture  represents  the  beautiful  mother  with 
the  dear  little  child  in  her  arms.  He  is  point- 
ing with  one  hand  to  the  lovely  aftgel,  St. 
Raphael,  who  has  brought  a  young  boy, 
named  Tobias,  with  his  fish,  to  beg  that  his 
father,  who  is  blind,  might  be  healed." 

"Was  his  father  cured?"  asked  John. 

"I  cannot  say,  my  boy,  sometimes  persons 


LIFE  AT  ROME,  ITALY      77 

were  cured,"  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "This  picture 
is  now  in  Madrid. 

"Raphael  improved  so  much  in  his  work 
that  the  Madonnas  painted  in  Rome  were 
much  better  than  those  painted  in  Florence. 
They  showed  more  thought  and  feeling. 

"He  painted  a  number  of  pictures  for  a 
friend,  a  wealthy  banker." 

"Where  did  he  live,  mamma?"  asked  Mar- 
garet. 

"This  friend  lived  in  Rome,  in  a  splendid 
palace  and  entertained  many  guests, "replied 
Mrs.  Merton. 


AT  THE  VATICAN 


At   The   Vatican 

OW  that  Raphael  had  become  fam- 
ous,  and  painted  such  a  variety  of 
subjects,  his  pictures  were  sought 
by  everybody.  He  painted  many  portraits 
of  noted  men,  one  of  which  was  that  of 
Julius  II.  This  was  so  true  to  life,  as  it  was 
placed  and  lighted,  that  many  said,  in  look- 
ing at  it,  that  it  seemed  as  if  he  must  speak." 

"Just  like  grandpa's  portrait.  Isn't  it, 
mamma?"  asked  John. 

"Before  Raphael  finished  the  second  room 
in  the  Vatican  the  Pope  died.  The  new 
Pope,  Leo  X.,  was  a  young  man.  He  was 
fond  of  art  and  admired  Raphael's  work.  He 
wished  him  to  continue  the  decoration  of  the 
Vatican  and  showed  him  and  his  friends 
special  favor.  He  also  sent  for  Leonardo  da 
Vinci,  with  many  of  his  pupils,  to  come  to 
Rome.  Raphael  was  very  kind  to  them." 

"Wasn't  Leonardo  da  Vinci  the  -teacher 
that  Raphael  liked,  and  of  whom  he  took 

81 


82  RAPHAEL 

lessons  while  in  Florence?"  asked    Margaret. 

"Yes,  my  dear,"  replied  Mrs.  Merton,  "I  am 
glad  that  you  remembered  about  him." 

"Why  didn't  he  go  to  Rome  before?"  asked 
John. 

"He  was  busy  upon  some  important  work 
in  Florence  and  could  not  leave  that  city," 
replied  Mrs.  Merton. 

"Raphael  must  have  been  glad  to  see  him," 
said  Margaret. 

"In  the  gallery  on  the  second  story  of  the 
Vatican  is  painted  what  is  called  'Raphael's 
Bible,'  because  the  subjects  are  stories  from 
the  Old  Testament.  These  pictures  are  small 
and  adorn  the  thirteen  cupolas  of  the  open 
galleries,  on  three  sides  of  the  open  court. 
These  galleries  are  called  'Loggia.'  This 
picture  will  give  you  a  little  idea  of  the  ar- 
rangement of  this  gallery  of  frescoes. 

"You  see  that  upon  the  sides  and  around 
the  windows  are  fruits,  flowers,  and  figures 
woven  together  in  an  artistic  manner.  The 
Bible  pictures  are  above  on  the'arches,  and 
are  well  preserved." 


Loggia  of 

Raphael, 

Vatican 


AT  THE  VATICAN         85 

"I  hope  I  shall  go  to  Rome  some  day  and 
see  these  pictures,"  said  Margaret. 

"So  do  I,"  said  John.  "I  would  like  to 
start  tomorrow  if  mamma  could  go  with  me." 

"We  can  study  the  pictures  at  home,  chil- 
dren, and  then  if  you  should  go  abroad,  you 
will  know  something  about  those  beautiful 
frescoes,  and  the  great  artist  who  painted 
them,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"Here  is  one  that  will  please  you.  Can  you 
imagine  how  lovely  it  would  be  painted  in 
the  most  beautiful  colors.5" 

"Tell  us  about  it,  mamma,"  said  John. 

"About  the  time  that  Julius  II.  died,  a 
wealthy  lady,  of  Bologna,  built  a  chapel  for 
the  church  of  San  Giovanni, .in  Bologna.  She 
dreamed  that  the  angels  told  her  to  build  it. 
Among  the  heavenly  voices  she  thought  she 
heard  that  of  St.  Cecilia,  who  sang  very  sweet- 
ly. She  dedicated  this  chapel  to  her. 

"St.  Cecilia  was  the  patron  saint  of  music. 
She  not  only  sang,  but  played  upon  a  number 
of  musical  instruments.  She  invented  one 
with  pipes  something  like  an  organ. 


86  RAPHAEL 

"This  lady  heard  of  Raphael's  work  and  en- 
gaged him  to  paint  an  altar  piece  for  this 
chapel.  She  told  him  her  dream  and  he 
chose  for  his  subject  St.  Cecilia." 

"Mamma,  what  is  an  altar  piece?"  asked 
John. 

"An  altar  piece,  John,  is  a  painting  placed 
over  the  altar  in  a  church,"  answered  Mrs. 
Merton. 

"St.  Cecilia  is  in  the  center  of  the  picture. 
She  seems  to  be  listening  to  music  in  the  dis- 
tance. Her  face  makes  one  think  she  must 
hear  the  voices  of  the  angels  above  her.  She 
is  so  affected  by  their  singing  that  she  has 
dropped  her  musical  instruments,  except  one, 
which  she  holds  loosely  in  her  hands." 

"  That  looks  something  like  an  organ,  mam- 
ma," said  Margaret. 

"Yes,  it  does,  Margaret.  See  some  of  the 
pipes  have  dropped  out,"  said  her  mother. 

"The  other  musical  instruments  are  lying 
at  her  feet,"  said  Margaret. 

"The  saints  around  her  seem  to  be  listen- 
ing also,"  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "There  is  St. 


St.    Cecilia 


AT  THE  VATICAN         89 

Paul,  the  great  preacher,  leaning  upon  his 
sword,  his  face  resting  upon  his  hand.  How 
thoughtful  he  looks!  St.  John  stands  beside 
him,  his  sweet  young  face  glowing  with 
delight.  They  show  by  the  expression  of 
their  faces  how  much  they  are  enjoying  the 
heavenly  music. 

"When  the  picture  was  completed  Raphael 
sent  it  to  Bologna.  The  people  were  greatly 
excited  when  it  arrived  and  were  proud  to 
possess  such  a  work  of  art." 

"Is  it  still  in  Bologna?"  asked  Margaret. 

"Yes.  The  coloring  has  faded  slightly, 
but  otherwise  it  is  as  beautiful  as  ever,"  said 
Mrs.  Merton.  "When  J  look  at  this  picture 
I  always  want  to  sing  a  hymn  that  my 
grandma  used  to  sing: — 

"Hark! — what  mean  those  holy  voices, 
Sweetly  sounding  through  the  skies? 

Lo !  the  angelic  host  rejoices, 
Heavenly  hallelujahs  rise. 

"Hear  them  tell  th$  wondrous  story, 
Hear  them  chant  in  hymns  of  joy, 

'Glory  in  the  highest  glory!' 
Glory  be  to  God  most  high ! 


90  RAPHAEL 

"Peace  on  earth— good  will  from  heaven, 

Reaching  far  as  man  is  found, 
'Souls  redeemed,  and  sins  forgiven — ' 

Loud  our  golden  harps  shall  sound." 

CAR  WOOD 

"Look  at  this  picture,  John.  Did  you  ever 
see  one  like  it?"  asked  Mrs.  Merton. 

"Yes,  mamma,  Aunt  Mary  has  one  in  her 
room,"  said  John. 

"Why,  mamma,  isn't  it  the  head  of  St.  Paul?" 
asked  Margaret.  "It  looks  like  this  head  in 
the  picture  of  St.  Cecilia." 

"You  are  right,  Margaret,  I  wanted  you 
to  see  this  large  head  of  St.  Paul  because  it 
shows  more  perfectly  his  great  strength  and 
his  thoughtful  expression,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"You  can  tell  Aunt  Mary  when  you  see 
her  what  you  know  about  the  picture  of  St. 
Paul.  Go  and  play  now,  and  Saturday  after- 
noon I  will  continue  the  story." 


St.  Paul, 
Bologna 


RAPHAEL  THE  MASTER 


Sistine  Chapel, 
Rome 


Raphael  The  Master 

"  "XTOU  remember,  children,  that  we  left 
J[  Raphael  working  in  the  galleries  or 
'Loggia'  of  the  Vatican. 

'What  were  these  frescoes  called,  Margar- 
et? "  asked  Mrs.  Merton. 

"They  were  called  Raphael's  Bible,"  said 
Margaret. 

"John,  can  you  tell  me  why?"  asked  Mrs. 
Merton. 

"Yes,  mamma,  because  he  took  the  subjects 
for  his  paintings  from  the  Bible,"  answered 
John. 

"After  he  had  finished  these  galleries  the 
Pope  had  still  more  work  for  him  to  do. 

"The  most  beautiful  apartment  of  the 
'Vatican'  was  the  Sistine  Chapel.  The  up- 
per part  of  the  walls  were  covered  with  the 
choicest  frescoes,  and  Michael  Angelo  had 
painted  the  ceilings  in  a  wonderful  manner. 
To  make  this  chapel  more  beautiful,  Leo  X. 
wished  Raphael  to  prepare  some  cartoons 

97 


98  RAPHAEL 

or  drawings  for  some  tapestries  to  be  hung 
on  the  lower  part  of  the  wall.  These  tapes- 
tries were  to  be  made  of  wool,  silk,  and  gold 
and  woven  together  to  represent  the  draw- 
ings he  had  made." 

"Were  they  to  be  hung  on  the  wall?"  asked 
John. 

"Yes,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Merton,  "just 
as  you  see  them  in  this  picture. 

"There  were  eleven  of  these  cartoons,  or 
•drawings,  which  were  accepted  by  the  Pope. 
The  subjects  were  taken  from  the  Bible 
and  are  wonderfully  pictured.  One  of  the 
most  famous  of  these  tapestries,  is  'The 
Miraculous  Draught  of  Fishes,'  which  I  will 
show  you.  Can  you  imagine  how  beautiful 
this  picture  would  be,  woven  into  a  drapery 
of  gold,  silk,  and  wool?  The  water,  the  trees, 
the  hills,  the  birds,  the  men  in  their  boats, 
and  the  nets  filled  with  fish. 

"Margaret,  if  you  will  get  your  Bible  you 
can  read  the  story  of  this  miracle,  and  I  have 
a  poem  about  this  picture  which  John  can 
read  to  us.  Will  you?"  asked  Mrs.  Merton. 


Miraculous 
Draught  of 
Fishes 


RAPHAEL  THE   MASTER      101 

"Certainly,  mamma,"  answered  John. 
Fishers  of  Men. 

"The  boats  are  out  and  the  storm  is  high, 

We  kneel  on  the  shore  and  pray, 
The  Star  of  the  Sea  shines  still  in  the  sky, 

And  God  is  our  help  and  stay. 

"The  fishers  are  weak,  and  the  tide  is  strong, 
And  their  boat  seems  slight  and  frail, 

But  St.  Peter  has  steered  it  for  them  so  long, 
It  would  weather  a  rougher  gale. 

"St.  John,  the  Beloved,  sails  with  them,  too, 
And  his  loving  words  thev  hear; 

So  with  tender  trust  the  boat's  brave  crew 
Neither  doubt,  or  pause,  or  fear. 

"He  Who  sent  them  fishing  is  with  them  still, 
And  He  bids  them  cast  their  net; 

And  He  has  the  power  their  boats  to  fill, 
So  we  know  He  will  do  it  yet." 

ADELAIDE  PROCTOR. 

"The  beauty  of  this  picture  is  almost  as 
much  of  a  miracle  as  the  subject  it  repre- 
sents. Just  think  of  a  number  of  these  pic- 
tures together  and  you  may  realize  how  much 


\ 


102  RAPHAEL 

they  must  have  been  admired  in  Rome  at 
that  time.  They  are  known  and  always 
spoken  of  as  'Raphael's  Cartoons.'  " 

"Mamma,  are  they  in  the  Vatican  now?" 
asked  Margaret. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "Some  years 
after  they  were  painted,  these  cartoons,  with 
many  other  choice  things  in  Rome,  were  car- 
ried away  by  soldiers.  They  were  bought 
and  sold  several  times,  some  were  destroyed, 
and  finally  those  that  were  left  were  returned 
to  the  Vatican  in  a  faded  condition." 

"What  became  of  the  drawings?"  asked 
John. 

"The  cartoons,  or  drawings,  were  forgot- 
ten for  a  time,  and  three  of  them  were  lost. 
A  famous  artist,  Rubens,  came  across  them, 
and  through  him,  Charles  I.,  King  of  Eng- 
land, bought  them  for  his  palace.  They  are 
now  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum  in 
London." 

"Oh,  mamma,"  exclaimed  John,  "wasn't 
Raphael  a  wonderful  man?  How  could  he 
do  so  much?" 


St.    Peter's, 
Rome 


RAPHAEL  THE  MASTER      105 

"Yes,  indeed,  my  boy,  he  was  wonderful, 
and  the  greatest  artist  the  world  has  ever 
known.  He  was  not  only  a  painter,  but  an 
architect,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

•What  is  an  architect,  mamma?"  asked 
John. 

"An  architect  is  one  who  is  skilled  in  the 
art  of  building.  He  draws  plans  for  houses 
and  large  buildings.  Your  Uncle  Frank  is 
an  architect.  He  drew  the  plans  for  grand- 
mother's house,  the  large  church  on  Main 
Street,  and  for  several  other  buildings,"  re- 
plied his  mother. 

"While  in  Rome,  Raphael  was  appointed 
chief  architect  of  St.  Peter's.  This  is  the 
largest  and  grandest  church  in  the  world. 
It  cost  several  million  dollars,  and  many  years 
passed  before  it  was  completed. 

"A  traveller  once  said,  'it  looks  like  a  great 
city  rather  than  a  church,  whose  streets  are 
marble,  and  whose  sky  is  gold.'  This  pic- 
ture will  give  you  some  idea  of  its  beauty 
and  grandeur. 

"Margaret,  do  you  suppose  that  Raphael 


io6  RAPHAEL 

had  forgotten  about  his  home  and  the  dear 
friends  he  had  left  in  Urbino?"  asked  Mrs. 
Merton. 

"I  don't  know,  mamma,  I  have  been  so  in- 
terested in  his  life  in  Rome,  that  I  had  for- 
gotten about  his  home,"  said  Margaret. 

"No,  he  did  not  forget  the  loved  ones  at 
home.  He  wrote  to  his  uncle  and  told  him 
with  great  pride,  of  his  success." 

"He  sent  him  his  portrait,  too,"  said 
John. 

"I  remember,"  said  Margaret. 

"His  letters  were  bright  and  cheerful,  show- 
ing his  sunny  nature  and  his  devotion  to  his 
work,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"  Mamma,  I  should  think  that  Raphael 
must  have  earned  a  great  deal  of  money  paint- 
ing so  many  pictures,"  said  John. 

"He  did,"  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "He  was 
very  wealthy.  He  lived  in  an  elegant  palace 
like  a  prince,  and  fifty  scholars  followed  him, 
every  day,  to  the  Vatican.  Nobles  and  great 
men  from  all  over  the  world  came  to  visit 
him  and  see  his  paintings.  Some  even  waited 


RAPHAEL  THE  MASTER      107 

outside  his-door  for  a  long  time  to  see  him 
for  a  few  minutes." 

"Didn't  he  have  a  great  many  friends?" 
asked  Margaret. 

"A  large  number,"  replied  Mrs.  Merton. 
"Among  them  was  the  Cardinal  Bibbena,  who 
thought  so  highly  of  the  great  artist,  that  he 
wished  him  to  marry  his  niece,  Maria.  It 
was  considered  a  great  honor  in  those 
days  to  be  connected  by  marriage,  with  a 
Cardinal.  Raphael  accepted  the  offer,  but 
the  wedding  did  not  take  place  as  the  lady 
died." 

"Did  he  ever  marry?"  asked  Margaret. 

"No,"  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "It  is  said  that 
Raphael  was  in  love  with  a  lady  of  noble 
birth,  but  he  would  not  tell  her  name.  A 
portrait  painted  by  him,  called,  'The  Beau- 
tiful Lady,'  or  «The  Lady  of  the  Veil,'  is 
said  to  be  her  portrait,  but  it  is  not  really 
known.  Her  face  appears  in  Mary  Magdalen 
in  the  St.  Cecilia  picture  that  you  have 
seen.  You  see  the  same  lovely  face  in  his 
finest,  best  beloved,  and  most  celebrated 


io8  RAPHAEL 

Madonna,  the  'Madonna  San  Sisto,'  or 
the  'Sistine  Madonna.' 

"Why,  mamma,  that  is  the  picture  you 
gave  me  at  Christmas,"  exclaimed  John.  "I 
did  not  care  so  much  for  it  then  as  I  do 
now.  Isn't  it  beautiful?" 

'•Please  tell  us  about  it,  right  off,  mamma," 
pleaded  Margaret. 

"One  of  the  legends  told  of  this  picture  is 
that  Raphael  did  not  feel  satisfied  with  the 
Madonnas  that  he  had  painted.  He  longed 
to  paint  a  more  beautiful  and  a  more  heaven- 
ly mother.  Every  day,  he  prayed  that  in 
some  way,  he  might  have  a  vision  of  such  a 
mother.  One  night  his  prayer  was  answered. 
He  dreamed  that  a  most  beautiful  lady,  carry- 
ing in  her  arms  a  lovely  baby,  appeared  to 
him.  She  seemed  to  be  in  the  clouds  surround- 
ed by  angels.  This  dream  made  him  so 
happy  that  he  wished  to  paint  the  picture  at 
once." 

"How  lovely  that  dream  was!"  exclaimed 
Margaret. 

"It  is  said  that  Raphael  made  no  draw- 
ings for  this  Madonna.  He  outlined  it  with 


Sistine 

Madonna, 

Dresden 


RAPHAEL  THE   MASTER      in 

red  chalk,  and  then  painted  in  the  beautiful 
colors.  It  was  painted  for  the  Benedic- 
tine monks  of  St.  Sixtus,  for  use  as  a  bannen 
but  they  were  so  pleased  with  it  they  used  it 
for  an  altar  piece.  There  it  remained  for 
more  than  two  hundred  years.  It  was  then 
bought  by  King  Augustus  II.  for  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  and  taken  to  Dresden  with 
great  ceremony.  It  is  now  in  the  Dresden 
Gallery,  where  visitors  look  upon  it  in  silent 
admiration.  It  is  considered  by  many  the 
greatest  painting  in  the  world  Let  us  look 
at  it  together.  We  lose  much  of  its  beauty  in 
not  seeing  the  exquisite  coloring  for  which  it 
is  especially  noted.  This  sweet,  lovely  mother 
looks  as  if  she  were  coming  out  of  heaven  and 
resting  upon  the  clouds.  Her  eyes  seem  to  be 
fixed  upon  something  in  the  distance  that 
makes  her  happy.  The  dear  little  baby  nestles 
close  to  his  mother  and  seems  happy  too.  The 
green  curtains  have  been  drawn  aside  forming 
a  frame  for  this  heavenly  mother  and  child." 

"Who  is  the  lady  on  the   left,   mamma?" 
asked  Margaret. 


T  i2  RAPHAEL 

"That  is  St  Barbara  who  was  a  pa- 
tron saint  of  the  church  for  which  the 
picture  was  painted.  She  was  said  to  be  a 
protector.' 

"Is  there  a  story  about  her?"  asked  Mar- 
garet. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs  Merton.  "She  was  said  to 
be  very  beautiful.  Her  father  fearing  that 
she  might  marry  shut  her  up  in  a  tower. 
While  there  she  became  very  much  interested 
in  the  stars  and  spent  much  of  her  time  study- 
ing them.  She  thought  there  must  be  some 
god  beside  the  ones  of  wood  and  stone  that 
her  father  worshipped.  After  a  while  she 
became  a  Christian.  This  made  her  father 
very  angry.  He  tortured  her  in  every  way, 
but  she  would  not  give  up  her  faith,  and  was 
finally  put  to  death. 

"Can  you  see  the  little  tower  just  back  of 
St.  Barbara  in  the  picture?" 

"Where,  mamma?"  asked  John. 

"The  curtain  hides  it,"  said  his  mamma. 

"Oh,  yes,  I  see  it.  You  can  just  see  the 
top  of  it,"  said  John. 


RAPHAEL  THE  MASTER      113 

"St.  Barbara  seems  to  be  thinking,"  said 
Margaret. 

"I  think  she  is  looking  at  the  two  anget 
boys  below  her,"  said  John. 

"Aren't  they  cunning,  mamma?"  said 
Margaret. 

"Yes,  they  look  as  if  they  had  strayed 
away  from  heaven  and  are  looking  up  wistfully 
for  some  one  to  take  them  back.  St.  Barbara 
looks  upon  them  lovingly  as  if  she  would 
protect  them,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"Did  Raphael  see  these  little  boys  in  his 
dream?'"  asked  Margaret. 

"No,"  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "There  are  several 
stories  about  these  angel  boys.  One  is  that 
while  Raphael  was  painting  this  picture,  two 
little  boys  came  into  his  studio,  leaned  upon 
a  stand  near  him,  and  watched  him  paint.  He 
was  so  pleased  that  he  told  them  he  would 
paint  them  in  the  picture." 

"Mamma,  the  old  man  looks  as  if  he  were 
praying,"  said  John. 

"He  seems  to  be  imploring  the  heavenly 
mother  to  bless  his  people.  See  he  is  pointing 


ii4  RAPHAEL 

to  them  below.  He  is  Pope  Sixtus,  who  was 
also  the  patron  saint  of  the  Church  of  San 
Sisto.  See  his  triple  crown  that  he  has  laid 
aside." 

"Look,  look  mamma,  see  the  faces  in  the 
clouds,"  exclaimed  Margaret. 

"Where?"  asked  John. 

"Can't  you  see  the  angel's  heads  peeping 
through  the  clouds?"  asked  Margaret. 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  John,  "I  never  noticed  them 
before.  Isn't  it  wonderful?" 

"You  will  admire  and  enjoy  this  picture 
more  and  more  each  year  that  you  live,"  said 
Mrs.  Merlon.  "I  hope  you  may  go  to 
Dresden  and  see  this  celebrated  painting  in 
all  its  beauty  of  form  and  coloring.  You 
-will  then  recall  our  talk  this  afternoon,  and 
as  you  gaze  upon  that  beautiful  mother,  you 
will  say: — 

"Thy  face  is  fair  and  lovely, 

Thine  eyes  are  softly  blue, 
And  who  can  help  but  love  thee, 

Who  knows  thy  heart  so  true. 


Raphael  in  bis 
Studio 


RAPHAEL  THE  MASTER      117 

"Who  knows  the  wealth  and  depth  of  love 

That  in  thy  bosom  glows, 
The  purity  like  heaven  above, 

That  from  thy  spirit  flows. 

"Thy  soul  looks  through  the   doors  of   sight 

And  beams  from  out  thine  eye, 
With  golden  light,  both  pure  and  bright, 

A«  ange's  passing  by. 

"And  orce  I  gazed  in  those  eyes, 

That  beam  with  heavenly  thought, 

And  felt  the  ties  of  love,  I  prize, 
Still  nearer  to  me  brought. 

GEORGE  W.  WARDEH. 

"Look,  my  dears,"  said  Mrs.  Merton, 
"would  you  like  to  see  Raphael  in  his  studio 
at  work  upon  this  Madonna  ?" 

"Yes,  yes,  mamma,"  they  both  exclaimed, 
eagerly. 

"See  the  beautiful  mother  standing  with 
the  little  baby  in  her  arms,"  said  Mrs. 
Merton. 

"Yes,  and  there  is  one  of  the  little  boys 
back  of  her,  resting  his  face  upon  his  hand, 
just  as  you  see  him  in  John's  picture,"  said 


n8  RAPHAEL 

x 

Margaret.  "Don't  you  remember  the  story 
mamma  told  us?" 

"Who  are  those  men  standing  about  watch- 
ing him?"  asked  John. 

"They  are  Raphael's  pupils  and  friends. 
How  interested  they  are!  They  are  watching 
him  sketch  the  figures,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"See,  there  are  two  of  the  pupils  behind  the 
mother,"  said  John.  "One  of  them  is  trying 
to  draw  this  same  figure." 

"I  do  not  wonder  that  his  pupils  and  friends 
liked  to  watch  him,"  said  Margaret.  "They 
must  have  learned  much  from  such  a  gifted 
teacher.  Wasn't  he  the  greatest  painter  in 
the  world  at  that  time,  mamma?" 


RAPHAEL  THE  PRINCE  OF 
ART. 


yatican 
Transfiguration 


Raphael  The  Prince   of  Art 

"F~ Inhere  was  much  discussion  among 
J  lovers  of  art,  at  this  time,"  said 
Mrs.  Merton,  "as  to  which  was  the 
greater  painter,  Raphael  or  Michael  Angelo. 
Cardinal  de  Medici  asked  them  both  to 
paint  an  altar  piece  for  the  church  at  Nar- 
boune,  in  France.  Michael  Angelo  did  not 
wish  to  appear  as  a  rival  of  his  friend.  His 
favorite  pupil  agreed  to  paint  the  picture  and 
the  subject  given  him  was  the  -Raising  of 
Lazarus.'  Michael  Angelo  made  the  drawings 
and  drew  many  of  the  figures." 

"What  was  Raphael's  subject,  mamma?" 
asked  John. 

"He  chose  for  his  subject  'The  Transfigura- 
tion,' "  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "He  was  very  busy 
painting  the  portraits  of  Pope  Leo  X.  and 
the  two  cardinals,  and  could  not  start  his 
picture  for  some  time. 

"Michael  ACJfelo's  pupil,  with  the  help  of 
his  master,  finished  his  painting  first,  but  he 


i24  RAPHAEL 

would  not  let  any  one  see   it    until    Raphael 
had  finished  his. 

"At  last  Raphael  set  to  work  upon  the  great 
undertaking.  He  felt  that  it  should  be  worthy 
of  his  name  and  he  must  put  into  it  his  best 
effort." 

"I  think  he  must  have  tried  to  do  his  best,'' 
said  John. 

"He  did  try  to  do  his  best,"  said  Mrs- 
Merlon,  "but  he  had  sketched  in  only  a  few 
of  the  figures  when  he  was  taken  sick  with 
a  fever,  and  died  upon  the  evening  of  Good 
Friday,  1520." 

"O  dear!  then  they  could  not  decide  which 
was  the  better  painter,  could  they,  mamma?" 
said  John.  "Was  not  that  too  bad?" 

"We  can  hardly  say  that,  John,"  said  his 
mother.  "We  cannot  help  feeling  sorry,  and 
mourn  for  him  as  all  Rome  mourned  him. 
He  was  a  great  loss  to  the  whole  world. 

"Even  the  Pope  wept.  People  crowded  upon 
the  streets  and  could  talk  of  nothing  but  the 
loss  of  their  beloved  Raphael;  of  his  kind 
and  loving  nature,  his  sunny  disposition,  his 


THE  PRINCE  OF  ART     125 

helpful  and  encouraging  words,  his  gentle 
and  courteous  manner,  and  his  unselfish  love 
and  devotion  to  his  friends  and  companions. 

"As  he  lay  in  his  studio  in  his  last  sleep 
this  unfinished  picture  was  placed  at  his  head. 
It  was  hard  for  his  many  friends  to  realize 
that  the  artist's  hand  had  used  his  brush  for 
the  last  time  on  earth.  How  could  they 
help  dropping  a  tear  of  regret  for  him  they 
so  deeply  loved,  and  for  the  great  loss  to  the 
whole  world  of  art.  Thousands  of  people  fol- 
lowed him  to  his  last  resting  place,  the  Pan- 
theon, one  of  the  finest  buildings  in  Rome. 

"Did  he  wish  to  be  buried  in  the  Pan- 
theon?" asked  Margaret. 

"Yes,  he  chose  this  place  some  time  before 
he  died,"  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "He  was  laid 
beside  Maria  Bibbiena,  the  lady  to  whom  he 
was  betrothed. 

"Although  the  'Transfiguration'  was  finished 
by  Raphael's  pupils  it  was  a  wonderful  work 
of  art.  Let  me  read  to  you  what  Mr.  Long- 
fellow says:  'A  child  looks- not  at  the  stars 
with  greater  wonder  than  the  artist  at  this 


126  RAPHAEL 

painting.  He  knows  how  many  studious 
years  are  in  that  picture.  He  knows  the 
difficult  path  that  leads  to  perfection,  having 
himself  taken  some  of  the  first  steps.  Thus 
he  recalls  the  hour  when  that  broad  canvas 
was  first  stretched  upon  its  frame  and  Raphael 
stood  before  it,  and  laid  the  first  colors  upon 
it,  and  beheld  the  figures,  one  by  one,  born 
into  life.' 

"We  will  look  at  it  to-day,  and  notice  the 
expression  of  the  faces.  The  story  of  this 
picture  is  taken  from  the  Bible  and  some  day 
I  will  read  it  to  you,  and  then  we  will  ex- 
amine  the  picture  more  carefully. 

"You  remember  that  I  told  you  that  Ra- 
phael was  a  very  wealthy  man.  He  was  very 
kind  and  generous.  After  his  death  it  was 
found  that  he  remembered  his  friends,  rela- 
tives, pupils,  and  even  his  servants,  in  dis- 
posing of  his  great  wealth. 

"Now  that  you  have  heard  the  story  of  the 
life  and  works  of  this  great  and  wonderful 
man,  with  his  beautiful  face,  winning  ways, 
and  marvelous  brush,  do  you  wonder  that 


THE  PRINCE  OF  ART     127 

this  inscription  was  placed  upon  his  tomb? 
•This  is  that  Raphael  by  whom  Nature  feared 
to  be  conquered  while  he  lived  and  to  die 
when  he  died.' 

"Now,  children,"  said  Mrs.  Merton,"!  wish 
to  recite  a  poem  that  I  learned  when  I  was 
a  little  girl.  Some  day  I  would  like  to  have 
you  both  learn  it.  The  one  who  learns  it 
first  shall  have  a  picture  of — " 

'Raphael,  mamma,  Raphael."  both  chil- 
dren shouted. 

"I  shall  have  that  picture,"  said  John. 

"I  shall  try  for  it,  too,"  said  Margaret. 

"The  Child  Raphael. 

"I  know  you  have  heard  the  story 
And  gotten  the  name  by  heart, 

Of  one  of  the  grand  old  Masters 
"They  call  him  the  'Prince  of  Art,' 

"Who  painted  the  purest  pictures. 

Christs  of  the  gentlest  mien, 
And  the  loveliest  Virgin  Mother, 

That  ever  the  world  has  seen. 

"What  visions  suggested  the  graces 
That  o'er  his  Madonnas  shiner 


128  RAPHAEL 

And  where  could  he  find  a  baby 
To  paint  that  was  so  divine? 

"And  whence  had  he  skill  to  do  it, 
And  how  did  he  come  to  know 

Better  than  all  the  Masters 

Why  he  should  paint  them  so? 

"In  an  old,  Italian  city, 

Urbino  the  queer  and  quaint, 

There  lived  Giovanni  Santi, 
An  artist  who  loved  to  paint. 

"And  when  he  had  need  of  models, 
What  models  so  sweet  could  be, 

To  him,  as  his  beautiful  Magia 
With  her  baby  upon  her  knee? 

"And  so  she  was  called  Madonna 
For  whom  she  so  oft  sufficed; 

And  so  they  called  her  baby 
Raphael,  the  'Infant  Christ.' 

"And,  surely,  a  mystic  radiance 

Over  the  boy  would  shine 
As  he  thought  they  deemed  him  worthy. 

To  image  the  Child  Divine! 

"No  wonder  he  walked  exulting, 
Through  all  of  his  happv  years! 

No  wonder  she  looked  celestial 
As  seen  through  his  orphan  tears! 


THE   PRINCE  OF  ART       129 


"The  memorv  that  filled  his  childhood, 

On  his  canvas  left  its  trace  ; 
For  each  of  his  sweet  Madonnas 

Holds  hint  of  his  mother's  face. 

MARGARET  PRESTON. 


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